Today my post consists of news on learning English and a few items of world news relating to reasons for learning English and one or two comments at the end in relation to learning English online which I hope will be of interest.
Philippines
In the Philippines English is one of its official languages with an increasing number of businesses demanding skills in English.
With the increasing number of call centres being established in the Philippines by the United States, UK and other English speaking countries the demand for learning English has increased significantly over the past 2-3 years.
In one online program for studying English online in the Philippines approximately 10,000 foreigners are registered. Out of the 10,000 about 80% are Japanese with the remaining being Chinese, South Koreans, Russians and Iranians. The opportunities in business for these people, having learnt English will significantly improve by doing so online when it is convenient for them to do so.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom over the past few years has seen a significant increase in immigrants many of whom either do not speak any English or very limited English. This will make their enjoyment of the UK less interesting if they are having difficulty speaking with native English people.
The Mayor of London recently and understandably stated that all people working in public services should be able to speak English and quote: “that it was completely wrong if people could not make themselves understood in English to NHS (National Health Services) staff” unquote.
He said that failing to learn English was a “wasted opportunity” for immigrants and it was a “great shame” that not everyone took steps to master the language.
He also said: “I don’t want to be hostile to speakers of other languages, other languages are beautiful things and people should learn other languages. But this is a country that happens to speak English.
Sabah – East Malaysia
The number of people and knowledge of English in Sabah is said to be lower when compared to the main Malaysian peninsula.
There are several Chinese employers in Sabah who insist that their employees are proficient in the English language.
Many Sabah natives are frightened to learn English because they fear their fellow citizens will laugh at them. Learning English online, really is relevant for these folks who are generally shy people so that they can study in the privacy of their home and do not feel embarrassed if they make mistakes in front of other people.
My Comments
The view has often been expressed that learning online does not have the same personal communication as ‘eye ball to eye ball’ contact because the communication with a tutor is done through earphones, microphones and through a monitor.
It is my experience that students who are shy and afraid of asking questions are much happier in online learning sessions,
For those students who are not shy the key factor for studying online is that one can progress at ones own pace and can study online with a tutor when it is convenient either from ones laptop/computer or mobile device.
Very importantly studying English online can be tailored to a students individual need rather than a standard approach usually adopted of teaching several students in a classroom.
I welcome any comments you may have about the contents of this post, please click on ‘Leave a Reply’ at the beginning of this post.
Thank you.